Textile picker screen shaft construction



June 13, 1967 M. H. CREIGHTON 3,324,514

TEXTILE PICKER SCREEN SHAFT CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 29, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR: M \TCHE-LL. H. CREGHTON ATTORNEY5 June M, 1967 M. H. CREIGHTON 3,324,5M

TEXTILE PICKER SCREEN SHAFT CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 29, 1965 2 Sheets-sheaf 2 g 1 I a (5 $2" W 25% MITCH ELL. H. CQE-IGHTON B YMMJ MM ATTORNEYE INVENTOR7 3,324,514 Patented June 13, 1967 3,324,514 TEXTILE PECKER SCREEN SHAFT CONSTRUCTION lifiitchell H. Creighton, Gastonia, N.C., assignor to Jenkins Metal Shops, llnc., Gastonia, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Jan. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 429,011 3 Claims. ((11. 19-89) This invention pertains to a textile picker screen shaft construction, and more particularly to such a construction using stub shafts to support the screen in the picker machine.

In the processing of textile fibers, and more particularly in the processing of cotton, the fibers are opened and cleaned by passage through a picker machine. A conventional picker machine, as well known to persons skilled in the textile arts, uses beater sections to perform the opening and cleaning functions. Textile fiber is delivered from the beater sections in small loose bunches or tufts which are usually transported by air currents generated by a fan. In order to form the tufts of fiber from the beater into a continuous and somewhat uniform sheet of fiber, the air currents carry the tufts to a screen, where the air and cotton tufts are separated. Such picker screens, where the separation takes place, have long been formed as cylindrical members with a perforated surface on which the cotton is deposited as air flows into the cylinder and axially out the ends of the cylinder into air flues on either side of the machine. The cylindrical screen extends across the full width of the picker frame and is rotated slowly to always provide a clean surface for the deposition of cotton and deliver a continuous sheet of the cotton deposited on the screen. Picker screens have been constructed with a number of annular spider wheel support members within the cylinder and a support shaft extending axially within the cylinder between the spiders to project at the ends of the cylinder and enter into support bearings carried by the picker frame.

From time to time, picker screens require replacement in order to maintain proper production from the picker. When such replacement is required, the construction of the picker frame is such that the support shaft extending through the frame carried bearings and screen must be removed by pulling it transversely of the screen and frame until it is entirely withdrawn from the screen, so that the screen is free to be removed from the picker.

In such prior art conventional constructions, considerable difliculty has been encountered in removing the screen shaft after the screen has been in place for some time, as is usually the situation. As picker screens have a relatively long useful life before replacement is required, the screen shafts frequently become frozen in either the supporting bearings on the picker frame or the hubs of the spider wheels which support the perforated cylinder. When such a frozen shaft must be removed for replacement, the only available method has been to cut the support shaft between the picker frame and the end of the screen, as the screen is supported within the frame. Due to limitations of space and other problems, this requires both considerable time and effort.

The replacement of such a frozen-in picker screen has presented a considerable problem in prior art pickers, as can be readily understood. The picker screen shaft construction of this invention solves this problem and corrects the deficiencies of prior art constructions by providing stub shafts to support the picker screen in the picker which are readily removable to permit removing the screen when replacement is required.

It is an object of this invention to provide a picker screen which may be readily removed from the picker when screen replacement is necessary.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved picker screen shaft construction permitting a picker screen to be removed from a picker for replacement without requiring that the screen shaft be cut.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a picker screen shaft construction having removable stub shafts which are positively positioned in the correct relation to the remainder of the picker screen for operation of the screen in a picker.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view, in perspective, of a conventional textile picker;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the elements assembled to form a picker screen in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a picker screen embodying this invention mounted for operation in a picker, taken along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the picker screen of FIGURE 3, taken along the line 4-4 in FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view, in partial section, showing details of the picker screen shaft construction of this invention.

Briefly, the picker screen shaft construction of this invention uses a support shaft extending within a perforated cylinder, and connected to spider wheels received within the ends of the cylinder. Stub shafts are positioned within counterbores at the ends of the support shaft, and are removably connected to the picker screen assembly. The stub shafts, when connected to the picker screen, support the screen in the picker frame for rotation and, when removed, permit easy removal of the screen for replacement.

A conventional textile picker 10 is shown in FIGURE 1. Such machines are widely known and used in processing textile fibers, such as cotton, and have been described in generally available technical books, such as The American Cotton Handbook. During the operation of such a picker 10, textile fibers are delivered as tufts carried by an air stream to condenser screens or picker screens, where the tufts of cotton are separated from the air flow and formed into a web for delivery to subsequent processing apparatus. In FIGURE 1, the hood 11 over the condenser or screen section of the picker 10 has been raised, in order to expose a picker screen assembly 12 to view. The picker screen assembly 12 is supported in the picker 10 by bearing assemblies mounted on the picker frame 13 and hafts 14 which extend through the bearings. Typically, a picker uses two screen assemblies 12 at each condenser stage location, only one of which is exposed by lifting the hood 11, as shown in FIGURE 1. I

For instance, FIGURE 3 shows, in section, the lower screen of the picker of FIGURE 1, which is not visible in that view. As shown there, the picker screen of this invention has a perforated screen cylinder 15, which may be formed of any suitable material such as perforated metal or screen wire. The cylinder 15 extends transversely of the picker frame 13 and the ends of the cylinder terminate in close proximity to the frame. Within the cylinder 15 are a number of annular support members 16 which engage the cylinder 15 to provide necessary rigidity for the screen. The annular support members 16 are generally formed as spider wheels, having an annular rim fixed to the cylinder 15, radial spokes extending inwardly from the rim, and a central hub. This construction is conventionally used because the air fiow relative to the cylinder is through the cylindrical surface and out the ends of the assembly into air ducts carried :by the picker frame 13 and leading to a fan for causing air movement. The spider Wheel construction is advantageous for this air flow pattern, as providing large open areas at the ends of the cylinders, but any other suitable structure may be used, such as disc members carrying a number of perforations. A support shaft 17 extends within the cylinder between the annular support members 16, and assists in increasing the rigidity of the screen assembly by supporting the support members 16. Preferably, as a weight consideration, the support shaft 17 is hollow throughout it entire length, and is fixed to the annular support members 16 at the center of the members. Where spider wheels are used, the support shaft 17 is usually connected to the hubs of the wheels.

In order to permit easily removing the screen assembly from the picker, when replacement is necessary, this invention provides stub shafts 20 which are removably connected to the annular support members 16 positioned at the ends of the cylinder 15. The stub shafts 20, as shown most clearly in FIGURE 3, extend from the picker screen assembly through picker frame 13, engaging support bearings 21 carried in the frame. At least one of the stub shafts 20, as shown in FIGURE 5, carries a key slot 22 or some other means suitable for the attachment of a screen drive such as a gear 23, as generally well known to persons skilled in picker construction.

The stub shaft 20' are received within recesses in the ends of the support shaft 17. As shown in FIGURE 5, the recesses are preferably counterbores 24 at the ends of the support shaft 17, which terminate inwardly of the spider wheel hub in a shoulder 25. As shown in FIGURE 3, the stub shafts 20 when assembled with the screen assembly 12 extend to the full depth of the counterbores 24, and abut the shoulder 25.

The annular support members 16, support shaft 17 and stub shafts 20 are connected in, a completely assembled screen assembly 12 as indicated in FIGURES 35. There, the support shaft 17 may be seen to extend through the hubs of outermost spider wheel support members 16, and be fixed to the spider wheels by radial dowel pins 26. The stub shaft 20, when positioned within the counterbores 24, are removably connected to the annular support member by setscrews 27 extending through the spider wheel hubs and the support shaft 17 to engage the surface of the stub shafts 20, as shown in FIGURE 4.

In operation, a picker screen assembly 12 is installed in a picker 10 by positioning the screen 15, annular support members 16, and support shaft 17 in the desired position between the picker frame members 13, so that the counterbores 24 are alined with the openings for the bearings 21. Then, the stub shafts 20 are inserted through the bearing 21 to enter into the counterbores 24, and are pushed inwardly until positively stopped by the shoulders 25. The setscrews 27 are then tightened to removably connect the annular support members 16 to the stub shafts 20, completing the picker screen assembly and supporting the creen assembly 12 for driven rotation in the picker.

When replacement of the picker screen is made necessary by wear, the setscrews 27 are loosened, to free the stub shafts 20, and the stub shafts 20 are removed from the counterbores 24 by pulling them outwardly through the picker frame 13. The screen may then be lifted from within the picker and a replacement screen installed.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims:

I claim:

1. In combination with a textile picker for processing textile fibers and having a frame, a condenser screen assembly comprising:

a horizontally disposed perforated cylinder having opposite ends terminating in close proximity to the picker frame,

a spider wheel matingly positioned within each end of the cylinder,

a hollow support shaft extending through said cylinder and carried by said spider wheels with opposite ends thereof terminating inwardly from the picker frame and having eounterbores in each end, and

a stub shaft positioned within the full depth of each counterbore and abutting the counterbore shoulder and being carried by said picker frame for rotatably supporting the condenser screen assembly.

2. The combination claimed in claim 1 in which:

radial dowel pins secure the support shaft to the spider wheels and radial setscrews extending through the spider wheels and support shaft secure the stub shafts.

3. In combination with a textile picker for processing textile fibers and having a frame, a condenser screen assembly comprising:

a horizontally disposed perforated cylinder having opposite ends terminating in close proximity to the picker frame,

a spider wheel matingly positioned within each end of the cylinder and having a hub,

a support shaft extending through said cylinder and the hubs of the spider wheels and with opposite ends thereof terminating inwardly from the picker frame and having counterbores in each end,

radial dowel pins securing the support shaft to the hubs,

a stub shaft positioned within each counterbore entering to the full depth of the counterbore and being carried by said picker frame for rotatably supporting the condenser screen assembly, and

radial setscrew securing the stub shafts to the hub and support shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7,178 1832 Whitin 19--88 441,169 11/1890 Kidder 64-5 FOREIGN PATENTS 197,290 7/1965 Sweden.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

I. C. WADDEY, Examiner. 

3. IN COMBINATION WITH A TEXTILE PICKER FOR PROCESSING TEXTILE FIBERS AND HAVING A FRAME, A CONDENSER SCREEN ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED PERFORATED CYLINDER HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS TERMINATING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE PICKER FRAME, A SPIDER WHEEL MATINGLY POSITIONED WITHIN EACH END OF THE CYLINDER AND HAVING A HUB, A SUPPORT SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CYLINDER AND THE HUBS OF THE SPIDER WHEELS AND WITH OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF TERMINATING INWARDLY FROM THE PICKER FRAME AND HAVING COUNTERBORES IN EACH END, RADIAL DOWEL PINS SECURING THE SUPPORT SHAFT TO THE HUBS, A STUB SHAFT POSITIONED WITHIN EACH COUNTERBORE ENTERING TO THE FULL DEPTH OF THE COUNTERBORE AND BEING CARRIED BY SAID PICKER FRAME FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING THE CONDENSER SCREEN ASSEMBLY, AND RADIAL SETSCREWS SECURING THE STUB SHAFTS TO THE HUB AND SUPPORT SHAFT. 